Engine-starting apparatus



July 20 1926. 1,593,334

F. .11. HARDMAN ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed. July 24, 1924 2 W WW 20attozmw Patented July 20, 1926.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

FREDERICK J. HARDMAN, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL MOTORS. COR-PORATIOIN', A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ENGINE-STARTING APPARATUS.

Application filed July 24, 1924. Serial No. 728,034.

This invention relates to starting apparatus for internal combustionengines and comprises an electric motor for driving a gear which ismovable into and out of engagement with a gear driven by the engine,such as the fly wheel gear. The driving connection between theengine'and motor are such that, when the engine becomes selfoperative,the motor gear will be automatically thrown out of engagement with theengine gear.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide a manually operabledevice for shiftin the motor gear into engagement with t e engine gearand for causing the motor to operate the motor gear to crank the engine,the manually operable means to include devices for permitting the motorgear to be demeshed' automatically from the engine gear, although themanually operable device may be maintained in the position whichproduced the engagement of the mo for gear with the engine gear. Incarrying out this object of the invention, there is provided a pedalconnected with a lever which shifts the motor gear toward the enginegear. The mechanism connecting the pedal and lever is constructed sothat, when the engine becomes self-operative, the motor gear may beautomatically demeshed and the leverage of the connections between thepedal and shifting lever be automatically modified, with the resultthat, instead of urging the motor gear toward the engine gear, continuedpressure upon the pedal will tend to have the opposite effect, after theengine has become self-operative.

A further object of the invention is to provide for disconnecting themotor from the current source in case the engine should fail to startand the motor gear should be retained in mesh with the engine gear.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawing.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view, partially in section. showing the enginestarting apparatus in normal position, the motor being disconnected fromthe engine gear.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the apparatus showing Fig. 1, partially insection, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the apparatus inposition for cranking the engine.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the apparatus in positionafter engine has become self-operative and automatically demeshed themotor gear, the pedal being maintained in engine starting condition.

Referring to the drawings, an electric motor 20, including a field frame21 and an end frame 22, operates an armature shaft 23, supported byframe 22 and provided with spiral splines 24 which terminate adjacentcollar 25, attached by pin 26 to shaft 23. The motor ear 27 which isadapted to engage the engine fly wheel gear 28 is rotatable upon andaxially movable along the shaft 23, the motor gear 27 being providedwith internal spiral splines or threads which cooperate with the splines24 of shaft 23.

The end frame 22 is provided with brackets 30 which support the shaft 31upon which is loosely mounted a lever hub 32 connected with forked leverarms 33 and 34. The arms of fork 33 each carry a roller 35 for engaginga groove 36 located between the flanges 37 of a sleeve 38 which isintegral with or attached to the gear 27. A spring 39-attached by stud40 to one of the brackets 30 and attached by stud 41 to the forked lever33 tends to maintain the lever 33 in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The apparatus for operating the forked lever 33, comprises a pedal 42,located within convenient reach of the driver of an automobile. Pedal 42is attached to a rod 43 which projects through a cup member 44 attachedto the floor board 45, the lower end of the rod 43 being connected at 46with a lever 47. A spring 48 located between the pedal 42 and the cupmember 44 normally maintains the lever 47 in the position shown in Fig.1.

Lever 47 is attached by pin 49 to the shaft 31 which is in turn attachedby pin 50 to a lever 51. Levers 47 and 51 support the ends of a rod 52which provide a pivotal support for the trip lever arms 53 and 54 whichare connected together by a pin 55 retained by cotter pins 56. Pin 55also provides a pivotal support for the head 57 of a tri rod 58 whichextends through an apertured block 59 provided with trunnions 6O whichpjvotally support the block 59 between the branches of the forked lever34. A spring 61 is located between the head 57 of rod 58 and the pivotedblock 59.

The trip lever 53 is provided with an extension 62 adapted to be engagedby either of the studs 63 or 64 which project from one of the brackets30 as shown in Fig. 2

The switch for connecting the motor with a source of current comprises acase 70 enclosing insulated contacts 71 and 72 attached to terminalbolts 73 and 74, respectively. These contacts are adapted to be bridgedby a conducting tube 75 mounted upon an insulated sleeve 76 of mouldedma terial in which is imbedded a switch rod 77 attached to the lever 47.The tube 75 and sleeve 76 are received by an apertured non-conductingcollar 78 supported by the switch case 70.

The operation of the invention is as follows:

To start the engine, the pedal 42 is depressed to cause the lever 47 tomove from the position shown in Fig. 1, to the position shown in Fig.2.During this operation of the pedal 42, motion is transmitted from lever47 to the motor gear 27, through the following elements: rod 52, triplever arms 53 and 54, pin 55, rod head, 57, spring 61, trunnions 60,forked lever 33, forked lever 34, rollers 35, flange 37, sleeve 38,which in turn is connected with gear 27.

During this downward movement of the pedal, 42, the switch contacts 71and 72 are connected by the tube 75. In case the motor gear enters theengine gear without butting,

the motor switch will be closed after partial engagement of the gear hasbeen effected. Operation of the motor will cause the gear 27 to be movedaxially until it engages the stop collar 25. Then the motor will turnthe gear 27 and thereby turn the engine gear 28 to crank the engine. If,after the pedal 42 is depressed to move the gear 27 into gear 28, theteeth of gear 27 fail to register with the tooth spaces of gear 28,thereby preventing further movement to the right of gear 27, continuedmovement of the pedal 42 downwardly will compress the spring 61 andclose the motor switch. The motor, being energized, will rotate theshaft 23 to bring the motor gear 27 into registration'with the spaces ofgear 28, whereupon the compressed spring 61 will be released to move thegear 27 quickly into engagement with the gear 28. The rotation of themotor will cause the gear 27 to be screwed against the stop collar 25and thereafter to be rotated to crank the engine as described.

When the engine becomes self-operative, due to the superior rotation ofthe engine gear 28 and the spiral spline connection be tween the gear 27and the shaft 23, the gear 27 will be thrown out of mesh with the euginegear automatically, regardless of whether the pedal 42 has beenreleased. In

case the pedal 42 is maintained in downward position to hold the lever47 in the position shown in Fig. 4, the lever 33 is permitted to rotateclockwise after the gear 27 is antomatically demeshed.

By comparing Figs. 3 and 4, it will be noted that in Fig. 3 the spring61 tends to act upon the lever 33 to move it in a countion shown in Fig.1, to that shown in Fig. 2, the trip lever arms 53 and 54 rotaterelative to the lever 47, as well as being rotated about the shaft 31.This rotation is brou ht about by the engagement of studs 63 with theextension 62 of trip lever arm 53. This relative movement between levers47 and 53 causes the leverage of the action of spring 61 upon the lever33 to be decreased. Therefore, after the pedal 42 moves the gear 27 intoengagement with the gear 28, the leverage of pedal 42 with respect tothe lever 32 is materially weakened. Consequently, when the end thrustupon the motor gear 27 is reversed by the superior rotation of theengine gear, this force tending to move the pinion 27 toward the left(in the drawings) is suflicient to shift the rod 58 from the positionshown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 4.

The rod 58 and the lever 34 may be regarded as the arms of a togglejoint. These toggle arms are drawn more nearly into alignment as theapparatus is moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown inFig. 2. Consequently, when the engine suddenly becomes self-operative,the sudden thrust of the gear 27 toward the left will cause the togglepivot 60 to move from a position to the left of a center line joiningthe pm 55 and shaft 31, to the right of this center line. The spring 61,when thus located as shown in Fig. 4. assists in holding the gear 27 outof engagement with the gear 23.

The starter is restored to normal condition by release of the pedal 42which causes the lever 47 to return to its original position. 1

thereby producing rotation of the trip lever 53, relative to the shaft31. By virtue of the engagement between the stud 64 and the extension 62of the lever 53, rotation of levers 53 and 54. relative to the. lever47. 1

will take place. This movement rotates the pin 55 relative to the shaft31 and produces couliter-clockwise rotation of the rod 53 and spring 61relative to the trunnion 60.

In Case the engine should fail to start,

after the gear 27 has been meshed with the gear 28, the pedal 42 may bereleased to open the motor switch, although the lever 33 will remain inthe position which has produced the meshing of the gears. The lever -l7is permitted to return to normal position indicated by the dot and dashline position l? in Fig. 3.

I claim:

1. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a gearconnected with an engine to be started; an electric motor; drivingconnections between the gear and motor including a pinion and meanswhereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear;a motor switch; and manually controlled means for shifting the pinioninto engagement with the gear and for closing the switch, said meansincluding-a pedal, a spring motion transmitting device bet\vee1itl1epedal and pinion and normally located so that pedal operation will causethe pinion to be yieldingly engaged with the engine gear, and provisionswhereby the demeshing motion of the pinion will cause the spring to belocated so as to permit the pinion to remain out of mesh with the enginegear regardless of continued pressure upon the pedal.

2. En ine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a gearconnected with an engine to be started an electric motor; drivingconnections between the gear and motor including a pinion and meanswhereby the pin ion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear;a motor switch; and manually controlled means for shifting the inioninto engagement with the gear and or closing the switch. said meansincluding a pedal, a spring motion transmission device between the pedaland pinion and normally located so that pedal operation will cause thepinion to be yieldingly engaged with the engine gear, and provisionswhereby the demeshing motion of the pinion will cause the spring to belocated so as to tend to hold the pinion out of mesh with the enginegear it pres sure upon the pedal is continued after the engine starts.

3. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a gearconnected with an engine to be started; an electric motor; drivingconnections between the gear and motor including a pinion and meanswhereby the pinion will be automatically dem-eshed from the engine gear;a motor switch; and manually controlled means for shifting the inioninto engagement with the gear and i 01 closing the switch, said meansincluding a pedal, a pinion shifting lever, a spring transn'iittingmotion from the pedal to the lever normally in a direction for causingthe pinion to be shifted toward the engine gear when the pedal ispressed, and provisions whereby the demeshing motion of the pinion willcause connections between-the gear and motor in cluding a pinion-andmeans whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the enginegear; a motor switch; and manually controlled means for shitting thepinion into engagement with the gear and for closing the switch, saidmeans including a pedal, a pinion shifting lever, i'neans for connectingthe pedal and lever and normally disposed to transmit from the pedal,when pressed, motion tending to move the lever into position for meshinggears, and provisions for reversing the effect of the connecting meansautomatically in response to the demeshing motion of the pinion, wherebycontinued pressure upon the pedal after the engine starts will tend tomaintain the pinion in demeshed position.

5. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, an engine gear;an electric motor; driving connections between the gear and the motorincluding a pinion and means whereby the pinion will be automaticallydemeshed from the engine gear; a motor switch; manually-controlled meansfor shifting the pinion into engagement with the engine gear and forclosing the switch, said means including a pedal and motion-transmittingmeans between the pedal and the pinion, comprising a toggle having itsmembers normally angularly disposed so that pressure upon the pedalcauses the pinion to be shifted into engine gear enmeshment, the togglebeing so constructed and arranged that its members will be located bythe demeshment of the pinion from the gear in such a manner as totransmit motion from the pedal in a reverse direction to thepinion-shifting device before the pedal is rcleased, a spring forrestoring the pedal, and means responsive to the movement ofthe pedal tonormal position for restoring the toggle members to normal position.

6. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, an engine gear;an electric motor; driving connections between the gear and the motorincluding a pinion and means whereby the pinion will be automaticallydemeshed from the engine gear; a motor switch; manually-controlled meansfor shitting the pinion into engagement with the engine gear and forclosing the switch, said means including a pedal-operated lever, aforked lever connected with the pinion and pivoted coaxially with thepedal-operated ever, an arm extending from the forked lever, a triplever pivoted on the pedaloperated lever intermediate its ends, and ayieldable member interposed between the forked lever and the free end ofthe trip lever and cooperating with said forked lever to form atoggle-like structure which normally operates to move the pinion intoengine gear engagement when the pedal is operated, and which will tripto another position to permit demeslnnent of the pinion and engine gearby engine operation while the pedal is maintained in operated position,and means co-operating with the trip lever to restore the toggle deviceto normal position in response to movement of the pedal to normalposition.

7. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, an engine gear;an electric motor; driving connections between the gear and motor,including a pinion and means whereby the pinion will be automaticallydemeshed from the engine gear; a motor switch 1nanually-controlled meansfor shifting the pinion into engagement with the engine gear and forclosing the switch, said means including a pedal, a pinion-shiftinglever, a

trip lever pivotally carried by the pedal and including an extensionadapted to engage stops to shift said trip lever into proper positionswhen the edal is operated, and a toggle connecting te pedal andpinion-shifting lever, said toggle having its members normally angularlydisposed to cause the pinion to be moved into gear enmeshment when thepedal is depressed, the angular position of said toggle members beingchanged so as to cause the pressure of the pedal to move the pinion inthe opposite direction when the engine, upon self operation, has shiftedthe pinion out of gear enmeshment and before the pedal is released, thetrip lever extension engaging one of its stops to shift the said leverinto its normal position when said pedal is released, whereby the togglemembers are again restored to their normal relative positions.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature.

FREDERICK J. HARDMAN.

